Prevalence, Determinants, and Time Trends of Cardiovascular Health in the WHO African Region

What are the distribution, determinants, and time trends of cardiovascular health (CVH) score categories in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region?In this cross-sectional study including 73 024 individuals representing a population of 95 million adults across 22 countries, 1 of 4 adults had an ideal CVH, and older age, female sex, lower education, and heavy alcohol consumption were associated with lower odds of achieving ideal or intermediate CVH. There was no statistically significant time trend in the weighted prevalence of ideal, intermediate, or poor CVH between 2002 and 2022.This multicountry study provided a situational analysis that identified actionable factors of CVH status across 22 African countries, which are crucial for guiding policy efforts in cardiovascular disease prevention in the WHO African Region to improve CVH for all.

Corresponding Author: Jean-Philippe Empana, MD, PhD, Paris Cardiovascular Research Center, Department of Epidemiology, 56 Rue Leblanc 75015, Paris, France (jean-philippe.empana@inserm.fr).

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